Career and Technical Education

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Career and technical education (CTE) in Iowa includes organized educational programs offering a sequence of courses which are directly related to the preparation of individuals in employment in current or emerging occupations. These programs include competency-based, applied learning which contributes to an individual’s academic knowledge, higher-order reasoning and problem-solving skills, work attitudes, general employability skills, and occupational-specific skills.

At the secondary level, CTE programs are organized within six broad service areas, as defined in 281—IAC 12.5(5)(i): agriculture, family and consumer sciences, health occupations, business, industrial technology, and marketing. Programs within these service areas are further aligned with the National Career Clusters™ Framework. CTE programs at the postsecondary (community college) level are also organized by the Career Clusters™ framework.